Safety water-gage



(N0 Mode i.)

J.'GRAHAM. SAFETY WATER GAGE.

No. 372,848. Patented Nov. 8, 1887.

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UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

v JOHN GRAHAM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SAFETY WATER-GAG E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 372,848, dated November8, 1887.

Application filed December 16, 1886. Serial No. 221,723. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN GRAHAM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Safety Steam and Water Gages,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of safet steam and water gages inwhich valves are furnished to the upper and lower valve-chests of gage,so that when the connecting glass tube breaks or is otherwise removedthe valves in the upper and lower valve-chests close automatically andprevent escape of water or steam from the boiler by way of the passagesin said valve-chests.

The object of my invention is to overcome certain defects that automaticgages have un'-' der varying conditions been subject to, notably ingages where the automatic valves nearly fill the valvechambers, directlyexposing too great superficial annular area of said valves to the firstimpulse of the steamor pulsations transmitted to the water in the boilerfrom the stroke of a piston of feed-pump that may be attached to aboiler using an automatic gage, as gages using large disk-valves undercertain circumstances become untrustworthy.

To elucidate, and enableothers skilled in the art to which my inventionappertains to construct and use the same, I refer to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 shows a sectional view of my in vention.Fig. 2 represents a front elevation projected from Fig. 1, the blow-offvalve-chest Fig. 3 is an outside plan view of the lower valve-chest ofmy improved gage.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents the upper valve-chest of the steam and water gage.

N represents the lower valve-chest in connection with a water-faucet,said water-faucet being patented to myself February 13, 1883, N 0.272,040.

D is the water-faucet referred to above.

0 is the glass tube which connects with the upper and lower valve-chestsof the steam and water gage, and through which the level of water isshown in boiler or other utensil.

The upper valve-chest, A, is furnished with a valve, B, having a stem,1), taking intoan annular opening in the cover a of valve-chest A. Thestem of said valve B has a collar, b, which acts as a valve inpreventing steam from escaping by way of the annular opening into whichthe spindle of valve takes, said collar bearing against the boss at ofvalvechest cover a when the valve B is open or off its seat.

When the valve B is shut, a small quantity of steam may escape betweenthe spindle of valve and bore of boss (1 of cover a, into which the saidspindle takes. The amount is of little or no consequence, as the valveonly requires to be in such position for a very limited period. Thisarrangement reduces the friction of the valve stem 6 in the annularopening 'of boss (1' to a minimum-in fact, annihilates it to all intentand.purposeand the valve B is always certain to close when placed underthe condition for it to prevent escape of steam, as in the case of theglass tube 0 breaklhe valve chest Ai's shown connected with out anyintermediate stop-valve between said chest and boiler, and the saidvalve-chest has a chamber, 0, into which one end of glass tube ,0projects, and a gland, E, prevents escape of steam from said chamber byway of the exterior side of glass tube.

The valve-chest N- has a valve, 0, with a stem, 0. The stem of saidvalve has a collar, 0, which restsupon the inner flange, n, of thevalve-chest cover a when said valve is open, the inner flange of coverhaving an annular opening, into which the stem 0 of valve 0 takes.

The valve-chest N has a chamber, 0, for the lower end of glass tube 0 totake into, and said chest is also furnished with a gland, E,

to prevent escape of steam or water from the said chamber by way of theexterior side of glass tube.

The valve-chest N has a screwed spindle, R, taking into a boss, a,formed upon the side of valve-chest N, the inner end of said spindletaking into an opening formed in the interior division-wall of thepassage n, which communicates both with the valve-chamber r and chamberr, that has free communication with the glass tube. The boss n", intowhich the screwed spindle R takes, is furnished with a ICO , the chamber1' and from thence be conveyed by gland, S, to prevent escape of steamor water by way of screwed spindle. From one side of the valve-chest Nprojects the blow-off valvechest U (shown in section in Fig. 2) with acommon cone-valve, V, having a screwed spindle, 1), taking into thevalve-chest cover n, and which is furnished with a gland, a, to preventescape of steam by way of spindle of said valve. Inserted in the branchleading to chamber of blow-off valve V is a perforated plate orwiregauze screen, it, to prevent any broken glass or other material fromentering the chamber of blow'offvalve, for when a glass tube breaksportions of said tube are liable to drop down into the force or velocityof steam into chamber of blowoff valve V when not otherwise prevented.

The waterfaucet D (shown in connection with the valve-chest N) is notnecessary to be used. In occasional cases such, however, can be used inconnection with one or both of the valve-chests containing the automaticvalves to advantage.

Having described the several parts of my invention, the operation ofsame is as follows: The upper and lower valve-chests, A and B, beingconnected by a glass tube, 0, and the automatic valves B and 0 remainingclosed, it becomes necessary to force them from their seats, that theglass tube 0 can have full communication with the steamboiler, that thelevel of water in the boiler may be indicated 1 in the glass tube 0. Thewater-faucet D, when used in combination with the valve-chest N of gage,is first acted upon to admit waterl-into the chamber r of saidvalve-chest, the pressure of the water in the boiler acting upon thevalve 0 to hold it closed until communication is made to the oppositeside of said valve. The pressure of the steam in the boiler holds thevalve B in valve-chest A also closed until communication with theboileris made to the opposite side of said valve, and the said valvesare both opened conjointly by admitting water i from the boiler to enterthe glass tube by way of the passage n, formed in lower valve-chest. N.The cone-valve formed on the inner end of screwed spindle R,when saidspindle is turned back, admits the water from boiler to enter saidpassage 01/ of valve-chest N, and the steam in boiler acting upon thewater forces the water through the glass tube 0, so that both the valvesB and O are forced open. A greater superficial effective area beingexposed to the pressure of water and steam by the inner faces of saidvalves, they must necessarily open and remain in such condition until areverse action takes place, and which occurs immediately upon the glasstube Obreaking, which destroys the equilibrium of forces between theupper and lower valve-chests containing the automatic valves B and O.

I am aware that gages having automatic valves are already in use, andtherefore do not claim the automatic valves broadly; but

What I do claim is as follows:

1. In a safety steam and water gage, the combination of a valve-chest,A, and valve B, having stem 1), with collar 1), the said stem takinginto a free and annular opening in cover ct,the glass tube 0, connectingsaid valvechest A with valve-chest N, having valve 0, with stem 0,taking into annular opening of inner flange, n, in valve-chest cover n,and the screwed spindle R, taking into boss or, forming part ofvalve-chest N, the inner end of said spindle It taking into the annularopening of inner division-wall of passage 11', so that communication canbe secured with the glass tube independent of the passages that may beclosed by the valves 13 and O, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a steam and water gage, the combination of valve-chest N and valve0, with projecting stem 0, with collar 0, said valve-stem taking intoinner flange, n, of valve chest cover 12, and the screwed spindle R,taking into boss at, projecting from valve-chest N, of the passage n,communicating with the chambers rand r'and controlled in saidcommunication by screwed spindle R, substantially as shown anddescribed.

JOHN GRAHAM.

\Vitnesses:

M. W. JOHNSON, JOHN J. HARDEN.

